Part 6: Sour Grapes
The phrase refers to some people's negative attitude towards something they wanted so badly but couldn't get. They act as if they didn't need it or say it is worthless.
Here are two examples:
- "His bad attitude towards cars is simply sour grapes; he would like to have one, but he can't afford it."
- "Peters dismisses criticisms of his business practices as sour grapes by competitors."
- "Kenyan diplomats described Somalia's attitude as mostly sour grapes."
The earliest known use of the phrase is in Aesop's Fables, a collection of short stories attributed to Aesop, a Greek storyteller of the sixth century BC.
In one of his stories, The Fox and the Grapes, Fox is strolling around an orchard. He sees a bunch of ripe grapes perched on a branch of a vine and starts salivating. "This is what I need to quench my thirst," he says.
He draws back a few steps and takes a run and a jump, but he can't reach the grapes. He tries a few more times but still can't reach them.
Finally, he gives up and walks away, his eyes still trained on the juicy grapes. "I am sure they are sour," he says.
